Editing Spa, Belgium (section)

==Geography and geology==
[[File:Spa JPG02.jpg|thumb|left|Spa, the water city]]

Spa is located on the borders of the [[Ardennes]] massif, at the gateway to the [[High Fens]] in the Wayai valley. The city center is surrounded by three wooded hills including Annette and Lubin to the north. The town borders the rural municipalities of [[Theux]], [[Jalhay]], [[Stavelot]] and [[Stoumont]] in the district of [[Verviers]] in the [[Liège Province|province of Liège]]. The municipal area is {{convert|39.89|km|mi|abbr=on}}; including {{convert|7.9|km|mi|abbr=on}} of built and related land, {{convert|5.6|km|mi|abbr=on}} of agricultural land and {{convert|23.6|km|mi|abbr=on}} of forests and wooded land.<ref>Directorate General ''Statistics and Economic Information'', Federal Public Service, Belgium, 2005</ref>

Many of the famous mineral springs in Spa are located on a hillside south of the town.<ref name = "nominate">{{cite report |title = Nomination of the Great Spas of Europe for inclusion on the World Heritage List | publisher = United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization |url = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1613/documents/ |access-date = 21 August 2021}}</ref> In total, there are more than 300 cold mineral springs in Spa and its surroundings, classified into two types: light mineral waters and natural sparkling waters (called 'pouhons' locally).<ref name = "nominate"/> The light mineral waters come from recent rainfall on the Malchamps Moor, roughly {{convert|4|km|mi|abbr=on}} south-west of the town and are filtered through layers of [[peat]], [[quartz]], and [[phyllite]].<ref name = "nominate"/> In contrast, the pouhon waters come from rainfall that may be decades old, having percolated through calcareous rocks hundreds of meters underground.<ref name = "nominate"/>